Hanamkonda: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is on a Mission South aiming to gain power in all southern states, is planning to welcome leaders from other political parties to strengthen the party further.

The ground work has begun in identifying eligible leaders, who endorses Prime Minister Narendra Modi leadership. It is the objective of the party to win the elections on its own strength and prove itself as a political alternate to Congress, said the party national general secretary, P Muralidhar Rao.

Speaking to presspersons in Hanamkonda on Friday, he stressed on the need for the party to grow in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka along with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The party chief Amit Shah has identified national leaders and engaged them on the task of boosting the party structure at booth level.

Muralidhar Rao felt that the conditions in southern states are favourable to BJP. The public is willing to accept and patronise it as a national party. The party is making efforts to regain power in Karnataka in the ensuing assembly elections.

With reference to Telangana, he said BJP would independently contest for all Lok Sabha and assembly seats in 2019 elections. Suggesting that the revival of Congress in the State is impossible, he said ‘Congress has gone forever’.

Hitting at TRS regime, he noted that government has failed to find solutions to public problems during its three and half years’ rule and there is no hope of doing any better in future. The State government has failed to offer corruption free governance and address farmers’ issues and could not ensure jobs to youth.

Like Congress, the TRS has adopted vote bank politics to appease a section of the society, the BJP leader averred. “We will go into public highlighting the government failures. People in the state are suffering now as they suffered in Congress rule”.

Responding on AICC leader Ragul Gandhi’s allegations against the PM in connection with the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, Muralidhar Rao said Rahul should know that the incident reflects the failure of his party government to maintain law and order in Karnataka.

On a question on lack of representation of Telangana in union cabinet and removal Bandaru Dattatreya from the cabinet, Muralidhar Rao, whose expected induction into the cabinet could not take place, said ‘Something better would be offered to the leaders from the State in future’.

“Either it is my case or any other, the doors are not closed yet. BJP is the party that always cares for its workers and believes in them. It is wrong to deduce that the party is neglecting Telangana,” he added.

The party Warangal urban district president Rao Padma, state president M Dharma Rao, general secretary G Premender Reddy, senior leader Prof K Venkata Narayana and others were present.